Wish Lists and Letters To Santa

While I was growing up letters to Santa were a must if you were going to be guaranteed any in put on your Christmas gifts.  As soon as I was told that it was time to make the list it was as if the starting gun went off.  Making the list meant that Christmas was on its way!  Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and everyone that I hadn't seen for months will be busily chatting around the family table soon.  We would be baking Christmas cookies and singing carols in no time.  Decorations and street lights will be going up soon and day dreaming would become a irresistible pastime.  It was a chance to dream of grandeur; Santa would get my letter and list and I would have wrote it so well that he would cheerful bring me every last toy and trinket on it. 
At that time the Sears catalog was still huge and both they and JcPenny would print their Christmas series called the Wish Book.  These brightly colored books were amazing; hundreds of pages covered in pictures of every toy you could imagine.  Even if it wasn't a toy the item intrigued me because at that time we didn't really have super stores.  Many of the featured items could only be purchased through the catalog so they were unique and never seen on the store shelves.  As a small child it was easier to believe that Santa brought your gifts because there were no Walmart emblems on the packaging.

Once I was blessed with having my own children I always asked them to make a letter to Santa and their own Christmas list.  Gone were the days of thick dreamy catalogs but there were so many other stores contributing to the clutter of advertising that I would be able to gather together a pretty impressive pile of magical fliers.  When they were too little to write out everything I would help them with the letter and then give them scissors and glue.  Their little collages would be choppy and hard to make out at times but most of the time it sent a clear excited message; Christmas is coming!
It seems that many kids do not make Christmas lists or even write letters to Santa any more.  They take for granted that they are going to wake up on Christmas morning and all they wanted will be there.  I am not sure how that tradition goes now maybe Santa has taken to bugging each house and that is how he knows but I think that there were many important things going on when we made those lists.
Growing up, writing those letters gave me and my kids an element of magic and anticipation, it was something that you looked forward to as it kicked off the holiday season.  I also found that those were perfect teachable moments; my kids wanted to spell everything right, they wanted their handwriting to be perfect and I can't forget to mention it also gave me a moment of peace and quite.  Fortunately my kids never questioned why they didn't get certain items from the list; it was understood that it was a Wish List. But to keep them encouraged I did make sure at least a few of those things on the Wish List would arrive on Christmas morning. 
I hope that more families will be able to find the time to teach this fun holiday tradition to their kids and please, as a favor...Don't have them text Santa the list.

Have a blessed day.

Made In America - Christmas 2011

I found this on Christie Cottage a wonderful blog that I follow. I think that it is great that she reposted this and would love it if my followers would do the same. I feel a little silly to say that I never thought of some of the ways to "buy American" that is in this article. Best of all, some of these gift ideas would be greatly appreciated by my friends and family. I hope you have a beautiful day and get a chance to check out Christie's blog http://christiecottage.blogspot.com/

Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip.

And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre. Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?